Aliyah Boston and Jewel Lloyd hype 2024 WNBA player marketing deal as ‘huge opportunity’

The league announced Wednesday that six Platters have been selected for the 2024 WNBA Player Marketing Agreement (PMA). PMA is an initiative that provides selected athletes with a platform as their ambassadors for the brand. Participating players include The Fever’s Ariya Boston, The Storm’s Jewel Lloyd, Mystics’ Shakira Austin, The Sun’s Bry Jones, Wings’ Arike Ogunboyere, and The Dream’s Ryne Howard. included.

The agreement is part of the 2020 collective bargaining agreement, with the WNBA allocating $1 million annually to the program, with each player potentially receiving up to $250,000. The initiative is part of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s strategy to make the league more viable and elevate its players to celebrity status.

Ogunbowale, a participant from the previous year, has already made progress, appearing in a State Farm commercial with Mark Cuban. The current group engaged with notable brands such as Google, Skims, and Mielle at New York City Media Day.

Jewell Lloyd of the Seattle Storm expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity and emphasized the importance of building credibility and awareness.

“That’s a big opportunity.” Lloyd via Erica L. Ayala of CBS Sports. “I want to raise more awareness, of course I want to get more resources, things like that, but I want to be myself. …I want people to know who I am and what makes me who I am. I think it was a really good experience to help them understand what makes them so good.”

Aliyah Boston, last season’s WNBA Rookie of the Year, sees PMA as a way to explore interests beyond her basketball career. Her open personality has already led her into sports analysis, an area in which she is very interested.

“The most important thing for me is to keep an open mind to everything,” Boston said. “…you get to experience different brands, different things, different activities. It’s like going in there, being happy, having fun with an open mind, and seeing what comes out of it.” So, that’s my plan!”

Similarly, Shakira Austin of the Washington Mystics, known for her passion for fashion, saw this as an opportunity to combine her height with her fashion sense, and began sewing her own costumes while attending the University of Mississippi. .

“Because I’m a tall girl, [6-foot-5] in the process of [6-foot-6]jeans and honestly it’s hard to find anything that’s creative and stylish,” Austin said.

Additionally, PMA aims to increase the visibility of their respective WNBA teams. Jones, for example, is eager to attract more fans to the Connecticut Sun, especially for the upcoming game at Boston’s TD Garden.

“the [going to be] “It’s exciting to play in an arena with such a loyal fan base,” Jones said. “Winning our loyal fan base and this will help the Connecticut Sun grow his basketball if he can combine the two.”

PMA represents a significant opportunity for player empowerment and league growth, but currently targets only a small portion of the player pool. But players like Lloyd see this as an opportunity to truly express their identity.

“I just see myself as a part of myself,” Lloyd said. “It’s a huge opportunity. Of course I want more visibility. More resources, things like that. But I want to be myself all the way.”